Out of the mouths of babes

My Reality: Just Being Me

I am “back to reality” after taking the red-eye home from a fabulous quick weekend trip to California.

Truthfully, I debated if I should bother reading – especially spending money buying- My Reality but I had a cross-country flight and nothing on my must-read now list. It’s kinda tha same as, “Should I even bother watching another season of this ridiculous reality series?”

Melissa Rycroft is a lucky lady who studied finance and ended up with a super exciting career in in television. As she illustrates in her biography, sometimes it pays off to be yourself.

“I think the most important thing I’ve learned from all of this, which I will take with me into whatever I do next – whether it’s in the entertainment world or not – is the importance of being brave enough to take chances and try new things…..Why not? The worst that can happen is that it won’t work out.” (page 235)

Melissa never badmouths Jason Mesnick and/or Molly. I am surprised she would ever get involved with a Jewish guy given how important her Christian faith is to her.

Melissa is definitely not a Bachelor statistic. She’s sweet and genuine and likeable. The cameras like her. Friends like her. Fans like her. Producers like her. She does recognize that she offered “the perfect combustible material for good TV.” (page 144)

She explains, “The longer I was outside of the ‘Bachelor Bubble,’ the easier it was for me to get some perspective. I really think that all of the qualities that made my girlfriends decide to sign me up for The Bachelor – my vulnerability, my low self-esteem, my desperation to be in a serious relationship-were exactly what made me so susceptible to the ‘Bachelor Bubble’.” (page 154)

It took Melissa going on The Bachelor to get her boyfriend Tye to give up his infamous bachelor life, including his bachelor pad, and finally commit to her.

“The bad times I went through definitely make me appreciate the good times now.” (page 236)

I read the entire book front to back (240 pages) in less than 2.5 hours on the plane. Anyone who has ever flirted with appearing on reality TV should read this book. I do wish Melissa talked more about filming during her season as a contestant on the Bachelor (especially details about what really happens in the fantasy suite) but contractually she probably is not allowed to.

She does say, “…reality TV has this way of airing what it wants you to believe.” (page 229) “We went on three dates on the show. We didn’t know each other well enough to know if we were in love or even compatible enough to get married. (page 226) “…Jason never really had a chance to steal my heart-because it belonged to someone else at the time.” (page 227)

I am truly happy for Melissa’s successes both on and off-camera. I have last Sunday night’s one hour finale of Melissa and Tye (CMT) on DVR but I am already curious when season 2 starts.

I was just asked that and I can’t seem to pick one yet. I know for sure not Ryan…haven’t seen much of Travis yet. Torn between Chris, Sean, Doug and Jef I think. What are your thoughts? Oh and Arie, but he seems too much like Ricki’s dad right?

I’ve had a sneaky suspicion since the beginning that its Sean (w/ Jef as the runner-up) In my opinion, Jef is way too young seeming for Emily. Yes, Travis hasn’t gotten much on-air time yet. Ryan & Arie are by far the best-looking. But I agree that she cant fall for another racecar driver. Hoping that Ryan has just been edited poorly with some of his obnoxious and sexist comments.